Draymond Green is a pretty tough player and, arguably, the heart and soul of Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans squad. It should be no surprise then that the senior forward said the only thing that could cause him to miss this weekend's rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines wasn't an injury, but literally not being alive to play in it.

Green practiced on Friday, which was expected, with Joe Rexrode reporting that he "looked OK." Izzo's already said Green will play "for sure" on Sunday, but the forward himself was even more blunt when asked what the chances were that he'd be taking the court.

Green on what would have kept him out of the Michigan game: "Death."

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) February 3, 2012

That's certainly good news for the Spartans as Green's averaging a double-double of 14.9 points and 10.3 rebounds for Michigan State through this point of the season. In the team's one point loss to Michigan last month, Green struggled with just seven points compared to five turnovers ... meaning he'll likely be looking for revenge.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.